Method and device for implementing instant communication

ABSTRACT

A method and device are described for implementing instant communication. Information indicating that a first user is logged into an instant communication interface is obtained. On-line users are displayed to the first user in response to the login of the first user. A first user selects an object to follow from the on-line users and, information about the selected object to follow is received in response to the first user selecting the object to follow from the on-line users. The first user may be set into a first instant communication room in which the selected object to follow resides, for performing instant communication. The device includes: an obtaining module, a displaying module and a processing module. In this manner communication between strangers is facilitated and the efficiency of making friends is enhanced.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of International PCT Application No.PCT/CN2013/087230, filed on Nov. 15, 2013, which claims the benefit ofpriority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201310001295.X, with StateIntellectual Property Office of PRC, filed on Jan. 4, 2013, entitled“METHOD AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING INSTANT COMMUNICATION,” both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to communication technology, and inparticular, to a method and device for implementing instantcommunication.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

With the development of communication technology, a user can not onlybrowser web pages and obtain various information, but also conduct textchat, audio/video calls and the like, via the network.

At present, a method for implementing an audio/video call is as follows.A user initiates an audio/video call request to a determinedcounterpart, and after the request is received by the counterpart, anaudio/video call connection is established between the two users,through which the audio/video call can be implemented.

However, in the existing method for implementing the audio/video call, auser can only initiate an audio/video call request to a determinedcounterpart, which limits communication with strangers.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A method and device for implementing instant communication are providedin the embodiments of the disclosure.

In one aspect, a method is provided for implementing instantcommunication, which includes:

obtaining information that a first user is logged into an instantcommunication interface;

displaying on-line users to the first user in response to the login ofthe first user; and

receiving, in response to the first user selecting an object to followfrom the on-line users, information about the object to follow, andsetting the first user into a first instant communication room in whichthe selected object to follow resides, for performing instantcommunication.

In another aspect, a device is provided for implementing instantcommunication, which includes:

an obtaining module, configured to obtain information that a first useris logged into an instant communication interface;

a displaying module, configured to display on-line users to the firstuser in response to the login of the first user; and

a processing module, configured to receive, in response to the firstuser selecting an object to follow from the on-line users, informationabout the object to follow, and set the first user into a first instantcommunication room in which the object to follow resides, for performinginstant communication.

The advantage effects of the technical solutions provided in theembodiment of the disclosure are as follows.

With the method according to the embodiment of the disclosure, after theinformation that a first user is logged into an instant communicationinterface is obtained, on-line users are displayed, information about anobject to follow selected by the first user from the on-line users isreceived, and the user is set into a first instant communication room inwhich the object to follow resides, for performing instantcommunication. Hence, the user does not need to propose a request forinstant communication to a determined counterpart, the communicationbetween strangers is facilitated, and the efficiency of making friendsis enhanced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to illustrate the technical solutions according to theembodiments of the present disclosure more clearly, drawings used in thedescription of the embodiments will be described briefly hereinafter.Apparently, the drawings described hereinafter include only someembodiments of the present invention, and other drawings may be obtainedby those skilled in the art according to those drawings without creativelabor.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for implementing instantcommunication according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 a to FIG. 2 e are flow charts of a method for implementinginstant communication according to another embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a head wall according to an embodimentof the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of head wall according to anotherembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for implementinginstant communication according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for implementinginstant communication according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for implementinginstant communication according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To make the object, technical solutions and advantage of the disclosureclearer, the embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detailin conjunction with the drawings.

A method for implementing instant communication is provided according toan embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, the methodincludes the following steps 101 to 103.

Step 101: obtaining information that a first user is logged into aninstant communication interface;

Step 102: displaying on-line users to the first user in response to thelogin of the first user; and

Step 103: receiving, in response to the first user selecting an objectto follow from the on-line users, information about the object tofollow, and setting the first user into a first instant communicationroom in which the selected object to follow resides, for performinginstant communication.

Used herein, the term “user” refers to a virtual person corresponding toa real subscriber, who represents the will of the subscriber andexecutes operations such as login, chat, select, communication and thelike.

Used herein, the term “object to follow” refers to a user correspondingto a person or an entity which the first user is interested in. For aninstance, the first user may wish to chat with the object to follow andtherefore wish to be in a same chat room as the object to follow. Foranother example, the first user may wish to play a game with the objectto follow and wish to enter the game room of the object to follow andparticipate in the game in which the object to follow is involved. Theobject to follow may be a stranger to the first user or may be arelative or friend to the first user, and the present disclosure is notlimited in this aspect.

Used herein, the term “instant communication room” refers to a virtualroom established for an instant communication, in which the users mayimplement the instant communication. For example, the instantcommunication room may be a virtual room established with respect to avideo game and the users in this room may participate in a same gamesession to play the video game together. For another example, theinstant communication room may be a chat room in which the users maychat with each other. The present disclosure is not limited to theparticular implementations of the instant communication room.

In an exemplary implementation, displaying on-line users to a first userin response to a login of the first user may include:

displaying a following list of the first user based on the informationthat the first user is logged into the instant communication interface,wherein the following list includes a name and/or an identity number ofat least one user who has been followed by the first user.

Accordingly, receiving, in response to the first user selecting anobject to follow from the on-line users, information about the object tofollow selected by the first user from the on-line users, includes:

receiving, in response to the first user selecting the object to followfrom the following list, information about the object to follow.

In an exemplary implementation, setting the first user into a firstinstant communication room may include:

setting the first user into the first instant communication room in thecase that a preset instant communication condition is met,

wherein the preset instant communication condition includes at least oneof: whether the selected object to follow has a preset attribute,whether the number of the users in the following list is not beyond apreset threshold number, whether the selected object to follow is in thefollowing list, whether the selected object to follow is on-line,whether the selected object to follow is in any instant communicationroom, whether the first instant communication room has vacancy, whetherit is possible to set the first user into the first instantcommunication room, whether an instruction from the first user to enterthe first instant communication room is received, and whether the firstuser meets a condition for entering the first instant communicationroom.

In an exemplary implementation, the method may further include: aftersetting the first user into the first instant communication room,

inquiring among the users in the following list, and selecting a seconduser from the users in the following list, wherein the second useraccepts the first user to enter the second instant communication room inwhich the second user resides;

when an instruction from the first user to enter the second instantcommunication room is received, determining whether the first user meetsthe condition for entering the second instant communication room; and

if the first user does not meet the condition, prompting that the firstuser does not meet the condition for entering the second instantcommunication room.

In an exemplary implementation, the method may further include: in thecase that the instruction from the first user to enter the secondinstant communication room is not received,

obtaining an instruction from the first user to follow a third user whoresides in the same instant communication room as the user;

determining whether the third user forbids the first user to follow; and

if the third user forbids the first user to follow, prompting that thethird user forbids the first user to follow.

In an exemplary implementation, the method may further include: if thefirst instant communication room has no vacancy,

adding the first user to a waiting list of the selected object tofollow; and

if waiting time of the first user is beyond a preset waiting timethreshold and an instruction from the first user to select to enter aninstant communication room using an automatic matching mode is received,matching the first user to an instant communication room using thepreset automatic matching mode.

In an exemplary implementation, the method may further include: ininstances when it is determined not to be possible to set the first userinto the first instant communication room, adding the first user to awaiting list of the selected object to follow.

In an exemplary implementation, matching the first user to an instantcommunication room using the preset automatic matching mode may include:

obtaining characteristic parameters of the first user and characteristicparameters of the user who is allowed to be added to the instantcommunication room that has the vacancy, wherein the characteristicparameters of the first user includes a basic characteristic parameterand a derived characteristic parameter, with the basic characteristicparameter including at least one of age, gender and geographic location,and the derived characteristic parameter including at least one ofeducation, social stratum, income level, opening index and network charmindex; and

comparing the characteristic parameters of the first user with thecharacteristic parameters of the user who is allowed to be added to theinstant communication room that has the vacancy, and obtain the instantcommunication room matching the first user.

After the information that a first user is logged into an instantcommunication interface is obtained, on-line users are displayed,information about an object to follow selected by the first user fromthe on-line users is received, and the user is set into a first instantcommunication room in which the object to follow resides, for performinginstant communication. Hence, the user does not need to propose arequest for instant communication to a determined counterpart, thecommunication between strangers is facilitated for there is nolimitation on the users, and the efficiency of making friends isenhanced. While the on-line users are displayed, the following list canbe displayed so that the user can select the object to follow from theon-line users or from the following list for expanding the selection.Further, the user can select to enter the first instant communicationroom, which is flexible and convenient for the user. In addition, it isconvenient that an instant communication room can be matched with theuser automatically.

It is to be noted that used herein, the term instant communicationincludes text chat, audio call, video call or the like, which is notlimited herein.

A method for implementing instant communication is provided according tothis embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 2 a to 2 e, themethod includes the following steps 201 to 247.

Step 201: obtain information that a first user is logged into an instantcommunication interface, and display on-line users and a following listof the first user to the first user in response to the login of thefirst user.

In the following list, the name and/or identity number (which can be QQnumber, micro-blogging number or the like) of at least one user that hasbeen followed by the first user are included. In instances when thefirst user logs-in the instant communication interface for the firsttime, the following list includes no user and is null. The objectfollowed by the first user is the one with whom the first user expectsto perform instant communication by entering the instant communicationroom where the object resides.

Specifically, after the information that the first user is logged intothe instant communication interface is obtained, the on-line users aredisplayed in the form of a head wall. The first user can select anobject to follow from the on-line users displayed on the head wall,enter the first instant communication room in which the object to followresides for performing instant communication.

Referring to FIG. 3, the on-line users can be displayed on the head wallby: displaying l popular users, m users in the instant communicationroom and n free users.

The popular user refers to a user who has a number of followers beyond apreset number threshold (such as 100 or the like). The user in theinstant communication room refers to a user who resides in any instantcommunication room currently. The free user refers to a user who islogged into the instant communication interface but has not entered anyinstant communication room. The numbers l, m and n are natural numbersand can be set as required.

Further, a changing button can be provided for changing the on-lineusers displayed on the head wall.

The on-line users can be displayed in any other way, such as displayingaccording to the gender of the users, for example, displaying x maleusers and y female users, where x and y are natural numbers, and can beset as required.

Step 202: determine whether the information about an object to follow isreceived, proceeding to step 203 if the information is received inresponse to the first user selecting the object to follow from theon-line users or from the following list of the first user, orproceeding to step 234 if the information is not received.

The information about the object to follow selected by the first usermay include: name, ID number, gender, age of the object to follow andthe like.

The first user can select the object to follow by: clicking a certainuser on the head wall; right-clicking at the position of a certain useron the head wall and selecting to follow from the properties; clicking acertain on-line user in the following list; right-clicking at theposition of a certain on-line user in the following list and select tofollow from properties; or providing any other available implementingmanners for the first user to select, which is not limited herein.Referring to FIG. 4, the first user can follow by clicking the icon“click to follow.”

Step 203: determining whether the selected object to follow has a presetattribute, proceeding to step 204 if the selected object to follow hasthe preset attribute, proceeding to step 238 if the selected object tofollow does not have the preset attribute.

204: determining whether the number of the users in the following listis beyond a preset number threshold, proceeding to step 237 if thenumber of the users in the following list is beyond the preset numberthreshold, proceeding to step 205 if the number of the users in thefollowing list is not beyond the preset number threshold.

The preset number threshold can be 10, 100 or the like, which can be setas required. Further, levels can be set for the users, and differentnumber thresholds can be set for users in different levels.

Step 205: determining whether the selected object to follow is in thefollowing list, proceeding to step 207 if the selected object to followis in the following list, proceeding to step 206 if the selected objectto follow is not in the following list.

Step 206: adding the selected object to follow to the following list,and proceeding to step 207.

Step 207: determining a current state of the selected object to follow,proceeding to step 208 if the selected object to follow is off-line,proceeding to step 242 if the selected object to follow is on-line.

The on-line state includes a state in which the user is in anaudio/video interface, a state in which the user is in an instantcommunication room, or the like.

Step 208: determining whether there is any on-line user in the followinglist, proceeding to step 209 if there is any on-line user in thefollowing list, proceeding to step 239 if there is no on-line user inthe following list.

Step 209: determining among the on-line users in the following listwhether any one is in any instant communication room, proceeding to step210 if among the on-line users in the following list there is any one inany instant communication room, proceeding to step 240 if among theon-line users in the following list no one is in any instantcommunication room.

Step 210 (shown in FIG. 2 c): determining whether the instantcommunication room R where the user as determined in any instantcommunication room in step 209 resides has vacancy, proceeding to step211 if the instant communication room R has vacancy, proceeding to step247 if the instant communication room R has no vacancy.

Step 211: determining whether it is possible to add the first user tothe instant communication room R, proceeding to step 212 in instanceswhen it is possible to add the first user to the instant communicationroom R, proceeding to step 247 in instances when it is determined not tobe possible to add the first user to the instant communication room R.

If it is determined from steps 209-211 that there are multiple users inany instant communication room who accept to add the first user intotheir instant communication room(s) (the first user is allowed to be setin their instant communication room), one of the multiple users can beselected in a random way, or in accordance with the number of the videocalls that the first user made with the respective user, or in any otherway, which is not limited herein.

Specifically, in carrying out this step, if the first user is not in thewaiting list of the user as determined in any instant communicationroom, it is determined whether there is any other user in the waitinglist of the user as determined in any instant communication room, andstep 212 is carried out if there is no any other user in the waitinglist of the user as determined in any instant communication room. If thefirst user is in the waiting list of the user as determined in anyinstant communication room, it is determined whether it is the turn ofthe first user to be added in, and step 212 is carried out if it is theturn of the first user.

Step 212: prompting the user about whether to enter the instantcommunication room R, determining whether an instruction from the firstuser to enter the instant communication room R is received, proceedingto step 213 if the instruction from the user is received, proceeding tostep 202 if the instruction from the user is not received.

Step 213: determining whether the first user meets a condition forentering the corresponding instant communication room R, proceeding tostep 214 if the first user meets the condition, proceeding to step 216if the first user does not meet the condition.

The condition for entering the instant communication room refers to theaudio and video related condition needed for the instant communicationroom, such as video resolution or the like.

Step 214: setting the first user in the corresponding instantcommunication room for performing instant communication, determiningwhether the first user is in the waiting list of the user correspondingto the instant communication room R, proceeding to step 215 if the userfirst is in the waiting list, proceeding to step 218 if the first useris not in the waiting list.

Step 215: deleting the user from the waiting list, and proceeding tostep 218.

Step 216: prompting that the first user does not meet the condition forentering the instant communication room R, determining whether the firstuser is in the waiting list of the user corresponding to the instantcommunication room R, proceeding to step 217 if the first user is in thewaiting list, proceeding to step 202 if the first user is not in thewaiting list.

Step 217: deleting the user from the waiting list, and proceeding tostep 202.

Step 218: determining whether an instruction from the first user to exitfrom the corresponding instant communication room R is received,enabling the first user to exit from the corresponding instantcommunication room R if the instruction is received and proceeding tostep 202, or proceeding to step 219 if the instruction is not received.

Step 219: inquiring among the users in the following list, determiningwhether there exists any user in the following list who accepts thefirst user to enter the instant communication room R1 in which heresides, proceeding to step 220 if there exists any user who accepts thefirst user to enter the instant communication room in which he resides,proceeding to step 221 if there does not exist such a user who acceptsthe first user to enter the instant communication room in which heresides.

Step 220 (shown in FIG. 2 d): prompting the first user about whether toenter the instant communication room R1, determining whether aninstruction from the first user to enter the instant communication roomR1 is received, proceeding to step 213 if the instruction from the firstuser is received, proceeding to step 221 if the instruction from thefirst user is not received.

Step 221: determining whether an instruction from the first user tofollow a third user who resides in the same instant communication roomas the first user is received, proceeding to step 222 if the instructionis received, proceeding to step 218 if the instruction is not received.

Step 222: determining whether the third user forbids the first user tofollow, proceeding to step 223 if the third user forbids the first userto follow, proceeding to step 224 if the third user does not forbid thefirst user to follow.

The third user in the same instant communication room as the first usermay forbid the first user to follow by dragging the first user into ablack list or in other ways, which is not limited herein and can be setas required.

Step 223: prompting the first user that the third user forbids the firstuser to follow, and proceeding to step 218.

Step 224: determining whether the third user has a preset attribute,proceeding to step 226 if the third user has the preset attribute,proceeding to step 225 if the third user does not have the presetattribute.

Step 225: prompting that the third user does not have the presetattribute, and proceeding to step 218.

Step 226: determining whether the number of the users in the followinglist is beyond a preset number threshold, proceeding to step 228 if thenumber of the users in the following list is beyond the preset numberthreshold, proceeding to step 227 if the number of the users in thefollowing list is not beyond the preset number threshold.

Step 227: determining whether the third user is in the following list,proceeding to step 230 if the third user is in the following list,proceeding to step 229 if the third user is not in the following list.

Step 228: prompting the number of users in the following list hasreached the upper limit, and proceeding to step 218.

Step 229: adding the third user to the following list, and proceeding tostep 230.

Step 230: determining whether the third user needs to change the instantcommunication room, proceeding to step 218 if the third user does notneed to change the instant communication room, proceeding to step 231 ifthe third user needs to change the instant communication room.

Step 231 (shown in FIG. 2 e): determining whether the first user isallowed to be added to the changed instant communication room of thethird user, proceeding to step 232 if the first user is allowed to beadded to the changed instant communication room of the third user,proceeding to step 233 if the first user is not allowed to be added tothe changed instant communication room of the third user.

The specific operation of step 231 is similar to that of step 211, andis not described in detail here.

Step 232: prompting for the first user whether to enter the changedinstant communication room of the third user, determining whether aninstruction from the first user to enter the changed instantcommunication room of the third user is received, proceeding to step 213if the instruction from the first user to enter the changed instantcommunication room of the third user is received, proceeding to step 218if the instruction from the first user to enter the changed instantcommunication room of the third user is not received.

Step 233: adding the first user to the waiting list of the third user,determining whether a preset waiting time has passed, proceeding to step218 if the preset waiting time has passed, and proceeding to step 231 ifthe preset waiting time has not passed.

Step 234: obtaining a staying time from the time the first user logsinto the instant communication interface, determining whether thestaying time is beyond a preset period of time, proceeding to step 235if the staying time is beyond the preset period of time, proceeding tostep 202 if the staying time is not beyond the preset period of time.

The preset period of time can be set as required, which can be 5minutes, 10 minutes or the like.

Step 235: prompting whether the first user selects to enter an instantcommunication room using an automatic matching mode, determining whetheran instruction from the first user to select to enter an instantcommunication room using an automatic matching mode is received,proceeding to step 236 if the instruction from the first user to selectto enter an instant communication room using an automatic matching modeis received, proceeding to step 202 if the instruction from the firstuser to select to enter an instant communication room using an automaticmatching mode is not received.

Step 236: matching the first user to an instant communication room witha preset automatic matching mode, and proceeding to step 213.

Specifically, the preset automatic matching includes: obtainingcharacteristic parameters of the first user and characteristicparameters of the user who is allowed to be added to the instantcommunication room that has the vacancy; comparing the characteristicparameters of the first user with the characteristic parameters of theuser who is allowed to be added to the instant communication room thathas the vacancy, and obtain the instant communication room matching thefirst user.

The characteristic parameters of the first user include a basiccharacteristic parameter and a derived characteristic parameter, withthe basic characteristic parameter including age, gender and/orgeographic location, and the like, and the derived characteristicparameter including education, social stratum, income level, openingindex and/or network charm index, and the like.

The basic characteristic parameter, such as age, gender and geographiclocation, can be obtained from the information that is submitted by theuser. The derived characteristic parameter, such as education, socialstratum, income level, opening index and charm index can be obtained asfollows: the highest education of the user can be obtained based on thegroup or community in which the user participates, or the informationthat is submitted by the user; the social stratum of the user (which canbe middle-class, student, migrant worker, or the like) can be determinedbased on the internet accessing circumstance of the user (such asoffice, internet bar, or school), IP address (different positions indifferent geographic locations corresponding to different IP addresses)or the like; the income level of the user can be determined based on themobile terminal that is used by the user; the opening index of the usercan be determined based on the action that is made by the user in the QQgroup; and the charm index of the user can be generated based on thebehavior of the user in the presence of a heterogenderual friend.

Further, it is to be noted that the characteristic parameters of thefirst user will change with time, thus the characteristic parameters ofthe first user need to be updated. For example, some characteristicparameters (such as age, gender, and geographic location) are updated ata preset interval, or some characteristic parameters (such as openingindex, charm index and the like) are updated based on the chatting ofthe first user in the video room.

The opening index and the charm index can be updated as follows.

The opening index f(x): f(x)=a0+a1*x.

Where a0 is an initial value of the opening index (which is generatedbased on the action of the user in the QQ group and the like), a1 is aweighting value of the opening index (which can be set as required, suchas 0.9 or 2), and x is the activity degree of the user in the video room(which can be determined based on the number and contents of thechatting posts made by the user).

The charm index: f(y)=b0+b1*y.

Where b0 is an initial value of the charm index (which is generatedbased on the behavior of the user in the presence of a heterogenderualfriend), b1 is a weighting value of the charm index, and x is the charmdegree of the user in the video room (which can be determined based onthe number of heterogenderual followers).

It is to be noted that in the setting of the characteristic parametersof the first user, one or more parameters may be selected from the basiccharacteristic parameter such as age, gender and geographic location andthe derived characteristic parameter such as education, social stratum,income level, opening index and network charm index, which can be set asrequired and is not limited herein here.

The characteristic parameters of the user that is allowed to be added tothe instant communication room having vacancy can be obtained asfollows.

A preset characteristic standard parameter xsi (which is usually anoptimal characteristic standard parameter, and if the usercharacteristic of the instant communication room meets the presetcharacteristic standard parameter, the chatting has the most perfecteffect) is set for the characteristic parameter of each user in theinstant communication room. For example, for the gender parameter of theinstant communication room, a preset male-to-female ratio (such as 1:1)is set; for the age parameter of the instant communication room, apreset average age and a maximum age difference are set; and for thegeographic location parameter of the instant communication room, apreset geographic location range value is set. The score of the eachuser characteristic of the instant communication room is f(xi)=xi−xsi,where xi is the actual user characteristic parameter of the instantcommunication room currently, and xsi is the preset characteristicstandard parameter. The smaller f(xi) is preferable, i.e., the actualcharacteristic parameter that is closer to the preset characteristicstandard parameter is preferable. The total score of all the usercharacteristics of the instant communication room is f=Σai*f(xi), whereai is a weighting value (which represents the importance of thecorresponding user characteristic to the instant communication room, andcan be set as required).

For adding a user to the instant communication room having the vacancyon the basis of the existing users in the instant communication room,all the combinations of the user characteristics are traversed to findthe optimal combination which has the smallest f, so that all thecharacteristic parameters of the user that is allowed to be added to theinstant communication room are obtained.

It is to be noted that the specific value of each characteristicstandard parameter can be set in advance as required, and the value ofeach characteristic standard parameter can be updated as required. Forexample, information about the chatting in each instant communicationroom can be collected, the value of each characteristic standardparameter corresponding to the instant communication room with morechatting contents and long chatting time is obtained, and the value ofeach characteristic standard parameter corresponding to the otherinstant communication rooms is updated accordingly.

For example, 6 users can be set for one instant communication room, andthe characteristic parameters of the user may be set as the gender andthe geographic location. Currently there are 2 users, one has thecharacteristic parameters of male and Beijing, and the other has thecharacteristic parameters of female and Hebei. Assuming that the presetstandard parameter for the gender is a male-to-female ratio of 1:1 andthe preset standard parameter for the geographic location is Beijing orHebei, all the combinations of the user characteristics are traversedunder the conditions that the gender of the No. 3 user is male or femaleand the geographic location of the No. 3 user is Beijing or Hebei. Thus,the characteristic parameters of the user who is allowed to be added tothis instant communication room are: male, Beijing; male, Hebei; female,Beijing; or female, Hebei. If the first user has the characteristicparameters of the user that is allowed to be added to this instantcommunication room, the first user is added to this instantcommunication room.

It is to be noted that there may be multiple instant communication roomswhich match the characteristic parameters of the first user, and thenone instant communication room can be selected randomly from themultiple instant communication rooms. There may be no instantcommunication room which matches the characteristic parameters of thefirst user, and then a new instant communication room can be built forthe first user.

Step 237: prompting that the upper limit of the following number hasbeen reached, and proceeding to step 202.

Specifically, if it is prompted that the upper limit of the followingnumber has been reached, the first user can not select a new one fromthe users on the head wall, but can only select one from the users inthe following list for following. Alternatively, the first user candelete some users from the following list, and then select a new oneform the users on the head wall for following.

Step 238: prompting that the selected object to follow does not have thepreset attribute, and proceeding to step 202.

Specifically, the preset attribute can be set according to specificapplications. For example, for match-making and friend-making, thepreset attributes can be set to include opposite gender, root,residence, school and the like.

It is determined whether an instruction from the first user to click tofollow an object in the same instant communication room as the firstuser is received, and it is determined whether there is an object forthe first user to follow, who has been followed by the first user.

Step 239: prompting the first user to re-select the object to follow,and proceeding to step 202.

Step 240: adding the first user to the waiting list of the on-line user,and proceeding to step 241.

Step 241: determining whether the waiting time of the first user isbeyond a preset waiting time threshold, proceeding to step 235 if thewaiting time of the first user is beyond the preset waiting timethreshold, proceeding to step 207 if the waiting time of the first useris not beyond the preset waiting time threshold.

The preset waiting time threshold may be 1 minute, 2 minutes or thelike, which may be set as required.

Step 242: determining whether the selected object to follow is in anyinstant communication room, proceeding to step 243 if the selectedobject to follow is in any instant communication room, proceeding tostep 246 if the object to follow is not in any instant communicationroom.

Step 243: determining whether the first instant communication room hasvacancy, proceeding to step 244 if the first instant communication roomhas vacancy, proceeding to step 246 if the first instant communicationroom has no vacancy.

Step 244: determining whether the first user is allowed to be set intothe first instant communication room, proceeding to step 245 if thefirst user is allowed to be set into the first instant communicationroom, proceeding to step 246 if the first user is not allowed to be setinto the first instant communication room.

The operation of the step 244 is similar to that of step 211, which isnot described in detail here.

Step 245: prompting for the first user whether to enter the firstinstant communication room, determining whether an instruction from thefirst user to enter the first instant communication room is received,proceeding to step 213 if the instruction from the first user to enterthe first instant communication room is received, proceeding to step 202if the instruction from the first user to enter the first instantcommunication room is not received.

Step 246: adding the user to the waiting list of the object to follow,and proceeding to step 241.

Step 247: adding the first user to the waiting list of the user asdetermined in any instant communication room, and proceeding to 241.

It is to be noted that a button or option is set on the instantcommunication interface for exiting from the instant communicationsystem, which can be clicked if the user wants to exit from the instantcommunication system at any time.

With the method according to the embodiment of the disclosure, after theinformation that a first user is logged into an instant communicationinterface is obtained, on-line users are displayed, information about anobject to follow selected by the first user from the on-line users isreceived, and the user is set into a first instant communication room inwhich the object to follow resides, for performing instantcommunication. Hence, the user does not need to propose a request forinstant communication to a determined counterpart, the communicationbetween strangers is facilitated for there is no limitation on theusers, and the efficiency of making friends is enhanced. While theon-line users are displayed, the following list can be displayed, sothat the first user can select the object to follow from the on-lineusers or from the following list, for expanding the selection range.Further, the first user can select by himself to enter the first instantcommunication room, which is flexible and convenient for the user. Inaddition, it is convenient that an instant communication room can bematched with the user automatically.

Referring to FIG. 5, a device is provided for implementing instantcommunication according to an embodiment of the disclosure, and thedevice may include:

an obtaining module 301, configured to obtain information that a firstuser is logged into an instant communication interface;

a displaying module 302, configured to display on-line users to thefirst user in response to the login of the first user; and

a processing module 303, configured to receive, in response to the firstuser selecting an object to follow from the on-line users, informationabout the object to follow, and set the first user into a first instantcommunication room in which the object to follow resides, for performinginstant communication.

In an exemplary implementation, the displaying module 302 may include:

a displaying unit, configured to display a following list of the firstuser based on the information that the first user is logged into theinstant communication interface, wherein the following list includes aname and/or identity number of at least one user who has been followedby the first user.

The processing module 303 may include:

a processing unit, configured to receive, in response to the first userselecting the object to follow from the following list, informationabout the object to follow.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module may furtherinclude:

a setting unit, configured to, in the case that a preset instantcommunication condition is met, set the first user into the firstinstant communication room, for performing instant communication,

wherein the preset instant communication condition includes at least oneof: whether the selected object to follow has a preset attribute,whether the number of the users in the following list is beyond a presetnumber threshold, whether the selected object to follow is in thefollowing list, whether a current state of the selected object to followis an on-line state, whether the selected object to follow is in anyinstant communication room, whether the first instant communication roomhas vacancy, whether it is possible to set the first user into the firstinstant communication room, whether an instruction from the first userto enter the first instant communication room is received, and whetherthe first user meets a condition for entering the first instantcommunication room.

In an exemplary implementation, referring to FIG. 6, the device mayfurther include:

an inquiring module 304, configured to inquire among the users in thefollowing list, and select a second user from the users in the followinglist, wherein the second user accepts the first user to enter a secondinstant communication room in which the second user resides;

a condition determining module 305, configured to determine whether thefirst user meets a condition for entering the second instantcommunication room; and

a first prompting module 306 prompt that the first user does not meetthe condition for entering the second instant communication room if itis determined that the first user does not meet the condition forentering the second instant communication room.

In an exemplary implementation, referring to FIG. 7, the device mayfurther include:

an instruction obtaining module 307, configured to obtain an instructionfrom the first user to follow a third user who resides in the sameinstant communication room as the first user;

a forbidding determining module 308, configured to determine whether thethird user forbids the first user to follow; and

a second prompting module 309, configured to, in instances when it isdetermined by the forbidding determining module 308 that the third userforbids the first user to follow, prompt that the third user forbids thefirst user to follow.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 303 may furtherinclude:

a first adding unit, configured to, when the first instant communicationroom has no vacancy, add the user to a waiting list of the object tofollow; and

a matching unit, configured to match the user to an instantcommunication room using the preset automatic matching mode if waitingtime of the first user is beyond a preset waiting time threshold, and aninstruction from the first user to select to enter an instantcommunication room using an automatic matching mode is received.

In an exemplary implementation, the processing module 303 may furtherinclude:

a second adding unit, configured to, in instances when it is determinednot to be possible to set the first user into the first instantcommunication room, add the user to a waiting list of the object tofollow.

In an exemplary implementation, the matching unit may include:

an obtaining sub-unit, configured to obtain characteristic parameters ofthe first user and characteristic parameters of a user who is allowed tobe added to the instant communication room that has the vacancy, whereinthe characteristic parameters of the first user includes a basiccharacteristic parameter and a derived characteristic parameter, withthe basic characteristic parameter including at least one of age, genderand geographic location, and the derived characteristic parameterincluding at least one of education, social stratum, income level,opening index and network charm index; and

a matching sub-unit, configured to compare the characteristic parametersof the first user with the characteristic parameters of the user who isallowed to be added to the instant communication room that has thevacancy, and obtain the instant communication room matching the firstuser.

After the information that a first user is logged into an instantcommunication interface is obtained, the device may display on-lineusers, information about an object to follow selected by the first userfrom the on-line users is received, and the first user is set into afirst instant communication room in which the object to follow resides,for performing instant communication. Hence, the first user does notneed to propose a request for instant communication to a specifiedcounterpart and communication between strangers is facilitated for theremay be no limitation on the users, and the efficiency of making friendsis enhanced. While the on-line users are displayed, the following listmay be displayed, so that the first user can select the object to followfrom the on-line users or from the following list, for expanding theselection range. Further, the first user can select to enter the firstinstant communication room, which is a flexible and convenient featurefor the user. In addition, it is convenient that an instantcommunication room can be matched with the user automatically.

It is to be noted that although the device for implementing the instantcommunication according to the embodiments of the disclosure isdescribed as being divided into the above exemplary functional modules,in practice, the above functions may be achieved by different functionalmodules as required, for example, the device may be divided intodifferent functional modules for implementing all or some of the abovefunctions. Further, the device for implementing the instantcommunication may be based on a same concept as that of the method forimplementing the instant communication according to the aboveembodiments and for a specific implementation of the device, one mayrefer to the description of the method, which will not be repeatedherein.

The above embodiments of the disclosure are numbered only forillustration but not for ranking the embodiments.

It can be understood by those skilled in the art that all or some of thesteps of the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware, or can beimplemented by instructing related hardware with a program, which can bestored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM, magneticdisk, or optical disk. For example, it can be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the method for implementing instantcommunication may be achieved by processing units including CPU (centralprocessing unit) or general computing device and storage units includingRAM or ROM for storing programs, and accordingly the device forimplementing instant communication according to the disclosure may beconstructed by the processing units and the storage units.

The above described are only preferred embodiments of the invention, andare not intend to limit the disclosure. Any modification, equivalent andimprovement made within the spirit and principle of the disclosure fallwithin the scope of protection of the invention.

We claim:
 1. A method for implementing instant communication,comprising: obtaining information that a first user is logged into aninstant communication interface; displaying on-line users to the firstuser in response to the login of the first user; and receiving, inresponse to the first user selecting an object to follow from theon-line users, information about the selected object to follow, andsetting the first user into a first instant communication room in whichthe selected object to follow resides for performing the instantcommunication; or adding the first user to a waiting list for the objectto follow in instances when the first instant communication room has novacancy or it is determined not to be possible to set the first userinto the first instant communication room.
 2. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the displaying on-line users to the first user inresponse to the login of the first user comprises: displaying afollowing list of the first user, wherein the following list comprises aname and/or an identity number of at least one user who has beenfollowed by the first user; and the receiving, in response to theselection by the first user of the object to follow comprises:receiving, in response to the first user selecting the object to followfrom the following list, information about the selected object tofollow.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the setting thefirst user into a first instant communication room in which the selectedobject to follow resides comprises: setting the first user into thefirst instant communication room in instances when a preset instantcommunication condition is met, wherein the preset instant communicationcondition comprises at least one of: whether the selected object tofollow has a preset attribute, whether the number of the users in thefollowing list is beyond a preset number threshold, whether the selectedobject to follow is in the following list, whether a current state ofthe selected object to follow is an on-line state, whether the selectedobject to follow is in any instant communication room, whether the firstinstant communication room has vacancy, whether it is possible to setthe first user into the first instant communication room, whether aninstruction from the first user to enter the first instant communicationroom is received, and whether the first user meets a condition forentering the first instant communication room.
 4. The method accordingto claim 2, further comprising: after setting the first user into thefirst instant communication room, inquiring among users in the followinglist, and selecting a second user from the users in the following list,wherein the second user accepts the first user to enter a second instantcommunication room in which the second user resides; in instances whenan instruction from the first user to enter the second instantcommunication room is received, determining whether the first user meetsa condition for entering the second instant communication room; and ininstances when the first user does not meet the condition for enteringthe second instant communication room, prompting that the first userdoes not meet the condition for entering the second instantcommunication room.
 5. The method according to claim 4, furthercomprising: in instances when the instruction from the first user toenter the second instant communication room is not received: obtainingan instruction from the first user to follow a third user who resides inthe same instant communication room as the first user; and determiningwhether the third user forbids the first user to follow; and ininstances when the third user forbids the first user to follow,prompting that the third user forbids the first user to follow.
 6. Themethod according to claim 3, further comprising: in instances when thefirst instant communication room has no vacancy, adding the first userto a waiting list of the selected object to follow; and in instanceswhen the first user waits for a time beyond a preset waiting timethreshold, and an instruction from the first user to select to enter aninstant communication room using an automatic matching mode is received,matching the first user to an the instant communication room using thepreset automatic matching mode.
 7. The method according to claim 3,further comprising: in instances when it is determined not to bepossible to set the first user into the first instant communicationroom, adding the first user to a waiting list of the selected object tofollow.
 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein matching the firstuser to the instant communication room using the preset automaticmatching mode comprises: obtaining characteristic parameters of thefirst user and characteristic parameters of a user who is allowed to beadded to the instant communication room that has a vacancy, wherein thecharacteristic parameters of the first user comprises a basiccharacteristic parameter and a derived characteristic parameter, withthe basic characteristic parameter comprising at least one of age,gender and geographic location, and the derived characteristic parametercomprising at least one of education, social stratum, income level,opening index and network charm index; and comparing the characteristicparameters of the first user with the characteristic parameters of theuser who is allowed to be added to the instant communication room thathas the vacancy, and obtaining the instant communication room matchingthe first user.
 9. A device for implementing instant communication,comprising: an obtaining module, configured to obtain information that afirst user is logged into an instant communication interface; adisplaying module, configured to display on-line users to the first userin response to the login of the first user; and a processing module,configured to receive, in response to the first user selecting an objectto follow from the on-line users, information about the selected objectto follow, and set the first user into a first instant communicationroom in which the selected object to follow resides for performing theinstant communication; or add the first user to a waiting list for theobject to follow in instances when the first instant communication roomhas no vacancy or it is determined not to be possible to set the firstuser into the first instant communication room.
 10. The device accordingto claim 9, wherein the displaying module comprises: a displaying unit,configured to display a following list of the first user, wherein thefollowing list comprises a name and/or an identity number of at leastone user who has been followed by the first user, and the processingmodule comprises: a processing unit, configured to receive, in responseto the selection by the first user of the object to follow from thefollowing list, information about the selected object to follow.
 11. Thedevice according to claim 10, wherein the processing module furthercomprises: a setting unit, configured to set the first user into thefirst instant communication room in instances when a preset instantcommunication condition is met, wherein the preset instant communicationcondition comprises at least one of: whether the selected object tofollow has a preset attribute, whether the number of the users in thefollowing list is beyond a preset number threshold, whether the selectedobject to follow is in the following list, whether a current state ofthe selected object to follow is an on-line state, whether the selectedobject to follow is in any instant communication room, whether the firstinstant communication room has vacancy, whether it is possible to setthe first user into the first instant communication room, whether aninstruction from the first user to enter the first instant communicationroom is received, and whether the first user meets a condition forentering the first instant communication room.
 12. The device accordingto claim 10, further comprising: an inquiring module, configured toinquire among the users in the following list after setting of the firstuser into the first instant communication room, and select a second userfrom the users in the following list, wherein the second user acceptsthe first user to enter a second instant communication room in which thesecond user resides; a condition determining module, configured todetermine whether the first user meets a condition for entering thesecond instant communication room when an instruction from the firstuser to enter the second instant communication room is received; and afirst prompting module, configured to prompt that the first user doesnot meet the condition for entering the second instant communicationroom in instances when it is determined that the first user does notmeet the condition for entering the second instant communication room.13. The device according to claim 12, further comprising: an instructionobtaining module, configured to obtain an instruction from the firstuser to follow a third user who resides in the same instantcommunication room as the first user, in the case that the instructionfrom the first user to enter the second instant communication room isnot received; a forbidding determining module, configured to determinewhether the third user forbids the first user to follow; and a secondprompting module, configured to, in instances when it is determined thatthe third user forbids the first user to follow, prompt that the thirduser forbids the first user to follow.
 14. The device according to claim11, wherein the processing module further comprises: a first addingunit, configured to, in instances when the first instant communicationroom has no vacancy, add the user to a waiting list of the selectedobject to follow; and a matching unit, configured to match the user toan instant communication room using the preset automatic matching modein instances when a waiting time of the user is beyond a preset waitingtime threshold, and an instruction from the user to select to enter aninstant communication room using an automatic matching mode is received.15. The device according to claim 11, wherein the processing modulefurther comprises: a second adding unit, configured to, in instanceswhen it is determined not to be possible to set the first user into thefirst instant communication room, add the first user to a waiting listof the selected object to follow.
 16. The device according to claim 14,wherein the matching unit comprises: an obtaining sub-unit, configuredto obtain characteristic parameters of the first user and characteristicparameters of a user who is allowed to be added to the instantcommunication room that has a vacancy, wherein the characteristicparameters of the first user comprises a basic characteristic parameterand a derived characteristic parameter, with the basic characteristicparameter comprising at least one of age, gender and geographiclocation, and the derived characteristic parameter comprising at leastone of education, social stratum, income level, opening index andnetwork charm index; and a matching sub-unit, configured to compare thecharacteristic parameters of the first user with the characteristicparameters of the user who is allowed to be added to the instantcommunication room that has the vacancy, and obtain the instantcommunication room matching the first user.
 17. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium comprising a plurality of instructionsexecutable by a processor for: obtaining information that a first useris logged into an instant communication interface; displaying on-lineusers to the first user in response to the login of the first user; andreceiving, in response to the first user selecting an object to followfrom the on-line users, information about the selected object to follow,and setting the first user into a first instant communication room inwhich the selected object to follow resides for performing the instantcommunication.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim17, wherein: wherein the displaying on-line users to the first user inresponse to the login of the first user comprises: displaying afollowing list of the first user, wherein the following list comprises aname and/or an identity number of at least one user who has beenfollowed by the first user; and the receiving, in response to theselection by the first user of the object to follow comprises:receiving, in response to the first user selecting the object to followfrom the following list, information about the selected object tofollow.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18,wherein the setting the first user into a first instant communicationroom in which the selected object to follow resides comprises: settingthe first user into the first instant communication room in instanceswhen a preset instant communication condition is met, wherein the presetinstant communication condition comprises at least one of: whether theselected object to follow has a preset attribute, whether the number ofthe users in the following list is beyond a preset number threshold,whether the selected object to follow is in the following list, whethera current state of the selected object to follow is an on-line state,whether the selected object to follow is in any instant communicationroom, whether the first instant communication room has vacancy, whetherit is possible to set the first user into the first instantcommunication room, whether an instruction from the first user to enterthe first instant communication room is received, and whether the firstuser meets a condition for entering the first instant communicationroom.
 20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: aftersetting the first user into the first instant communication roominquiring among users in the following list, and selecting a second userfrom the users in the following list, wherein the second user acceptsthe first user to enter a second instant communication room in which thesecond user resides; in instances when an instruction from the firstuser to enter the second instant communication room is received,determining whether the first user meets a condition for entering thesecond instant communication room; and in instances when the first userdoes not meet the condition for entering the second instantcommunication room, prompting that the first user does not meet thecondition for entering the second instant communication room.